Collecting energy directly from the sun has drawn more and more interest in the past several years as people and industries turn to more sustainable forms of energy production. One way to collect energy from the sun is through the use of photovoltaic panels that generate electrical energy when the panels are exposed to sunlight. Large numbers of such panels can be erected in an array and electrically interconnected to generate correspondingly large volumes of electrical energy. Such photovoltaic arrays have been used to supply electrical power for commercial manufacturing plants, wineries, commercial buildings, and even domestic buildings. Such systems unfortunately tend to be large, bulky, unsightly, and generally not aesthetically desirable for installation on the roof of one's home.
More recently, photovoltaic systems have been developed that are designed to be installed on the roof of a residential home and, when installed, to present a more pleasing and acceptable appearance. One example is the Powerhouse® brand solar shingle from Dow Solar, which is relatively flat, installed in a manner similar to normal asphalt shingles, and at least to some degree resembles ordinary shingles. These more recent systems, while a step in the right direction, have generally been less acceptable than expected for a number of reasons including their tendency to leak, their susceptibility to large reductions in efficiency when one or a few panels of the system are shaded, and the difficulty of detecting and replacing defective panels and/or defective electrical connections beneath the panels. These systems generally also require large inverters in a garage or other location that convert the direct current (DC) electrical energy generated by the panels to alternating current (AC) electrical energy for connection to the public grid.
A need persists for a roof integrated solar panel system that addresses the above and other problems and shortcomings, that is suitable in appearance and function for use on the roofs of residential homes, and that is easily installed and easily serviced when necessary. It is to the provision of such a system that the present invention is primarily directed.